History Main / BrutalBonusLevel

** ''[[VideoGame/CrashBandicootNSaneTrilogy N. Sane Trilogy]]'' released Stormy Ascent as DownloadableContent, which is so hard that it was DummiedOut in the first game ([[NintendoHard and that's saying something]]). It's the ramped-up version of Slippery Climb, already one of the hardest levels in the game, except now there's extremely fast platforms, bouncing off birds, spikes everywhere, erratically-moving platforms, {{Surprise Slide Staircase}}s, platforms that move in and out very quickly, long stretches of constant action, and few checkpoints. Reportedly, even the level's original designer had trouble with its creation, and one of the remake team's best players lost ''60 lives'' going through Stormy Ascent for the first time.

* The ''VideoGame/ProfessorLayton'' games have Layton's Challenges, a collection of 15 post-game puzzles (typically five sets of three puzzles each) unlocked by completing certain objectives in the main game (one of them, for example, being the conclusion of the game's story). All of them are much more difficult than anything you'll face in the main game, with at least one puzzle in each 3-puzzle set being a fiendishly difficult (and [[ThatOneLevel frustrating]]) slide puzzle and/or an insanely hard(er) version of one of the main game's already brutally tough puzzles. Worse, the very last puzzle in every game is, without fail, a [[HarderThanHard diabolically difficult]] slide puzzle. ''[[VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheLastSpecter Last Specter]]'' makes it even worse by making the final puzzle two slide puzzles in one]], with absolutely [[HintsAreForLosers no hints]] for the downright evil second puzzle. ''[[VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheMiracleMask Miracle Mask]]'' gives a slide puzzle for its second-to-last puzzle, with the final puzzle being different from usual: [[spoiler:It's supposed to be a harder version of what was faced in the Azran Chamber, but being it's just stepping on buttons, it's really not as hard as you would imagine.]]

*** You thought the Flesh Prison was Bad? The Flesh ''Panopticon'' takes everything that made its predecessor difficult and adds some truly nasty mechanics on top of it. The Panopticon summons its own minions, but with the added twist of if you look directly at any of them, ''you cannot heal until you have killed them all''. Luckily, the fight ends rather abruptly when you get it down to about a quarter of its health... ''Because its prisoner manages to break free''.
*** Sisyphus Prime is, for all intents and purposes, a bigger, faster, souped up version of Minos Prime, who was already an incredibly hard boss. Not only does he have ''double the health'', Sisyphus has access to an AOE attack capable of stripping away half of your own health. When taken down to half health, he will attack almost nonstop, giving you almost ''no'' breathing room except on the rare occasion that he stops to taunt you.

** You thought the Flesh Prison was Bad? The Flesh ''Panopticon'' takes everything that made its predecessor difficult and adds some truly nasty mechanics on top of it. The Panopticon summons its own minions, but with the added twist of if you look directly at any of them, ''you cannot heal until you have killed them all''. Luckily, the fight ends rather abruptly when you get it down to about a quarter of its health... ''Because its prisoner manages to break free''.
** Sisyphus Prime is, for all intents and purposes, a bigger, faster, souped up version of Minos Prime, who was already an incredibly hard boss. Not only does he have ''double the health'', Sisyphus has access to an AOE attack capable of stripping away half of your own health. When taken down to half health, he will attack almost nonstop, giving you almost ''no'' breathing room except on the rare occasion that he stops to taunt you.

* ''VideoGame/CurseCrackersForWhomTheBelleToils:

** The Hidden WWW Network and the Secret Area of ''[[VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork2 Battle Network 2]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork3WhiteAndBlue 3]]'' respectively are widely regarded as being the most brutal in ''both'' series. Both games have [[RandomEncounters viruses]] and bosses that are incredibly nasty. And unlike anywhere else in these games, you cannot use the [[EscapeRope R-Button to automatically leave the postgame dungeons]] if the going gets too tough for you; you must MANUALLY backtrack to the ''entrance'' of these areas to leave. Think you can just sneak around and get the few treasures that you access? Think again! Some of the best treasures in the game that are found here are just in plain sight, but to get the goods you have to beat a [[PuzzleBoss predetermined encounter with viruses]] that MUST ALL be destroyed in one attack or they will ALL respawn instantly. In [=MMBN2=], if you don't kill them fast enough they will cause a very powerful explosion that will quickly kill you if left unchecked. [=MMBN3's=] encounters is particularly nasty in that if you take too long to delete them all or worse, attack the incorrect number, the enemies will instantly retaliate with "ERR+DEL", an unavoidable, UnblockableAttack that deals ''1000 damage to Mega Man'', an almost certain OneHitKill unless you have over 1000HP and/or the [[LastChanceHitPoint Undershirt]] equipped. In both games, many of these encounters require the use of specific [[CombinationAttack Program Advance attacks]] or strong chip combos like [=GrassStage+BlkBomb=], most of which [[GuideDangIt you will not figure out on your own without an outside source or sheer trial-and-error]] telling you.

** The Hidden WWW Network and the Secret Area of ''[[VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork2 Battle Network 2]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork3WhiteAndBlue 3]]'' respectively are widely regarded as being the most brutal in ''both'' series. Both games have [[RandomEncounters viruses]] and bosses that are incredibly nasty. And unlike anywhere else in these games, you cannot use the [[EscapeRope R-Button to automatically leave the postgame dungeons]] if the going gets too tough for you; you must MANUALLY backtrack to the ''entrance'' of these areas to leave. Think you can just sneak around and get the few treasures that you access? Think again! Some of the best treasures in the game are found here are just in plain sight, but to get the goods you have to beat a [[PuzzleBoss predetermined encounter with viruses]] that MUST ALL be destroyed in one attack or they will ALL respawn instantly. In [=MMBN2=], if you don't kill them fast enough they will cause a very powerful explosion that will quickly kill you if left unchecked. [=MMBN3's=] encounters is particularly nasty in that if you take too long to delete them all or worse, attack the incorrect number, the enemies will instantly retaliate with "ERR+DEL", an unavoidable, UnblockableAttack that deals ''1000 damage to Mega Man'', an almost certain OneHitKill unless you have over 1000HP and/or the [[LastChanceHitPoint Undershirt]] equipped. In both games, many of these encounters require the use of specific [[CombinationAttack Program Advance attacks]] or strong chip combos like [=GrassStage+BlkBomb=], most of which [[GuideDangIt you will not figure out on your own without an outside source or sheer trial-and-error]] telling you.

** The bonus areas in the ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' and ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce'' series are known for being a significant step up from the main story in difficulty, being host to high-tier enemies you normally never encounter in the main story areas. One reason why they're so difficult is because of the fact that once you start the postgame proper, you MUST have a streamlined battle chip folder to get anywhere there. And by streamlined we mean -- your folder has to be able to reliably delete the enemies within a couple turns and/or provide Mega Man enough protection to withstand their onslaught. Using that alphabet soup folder that got you through the main story without much trouble is no longer going to cut it here; the postgame bosses and even the viruses encounters here are simply [[LightningBruiser too fast, too beefy, and too dangerous]] to fight using only a single chip or two per turn. And the games will keep sending you to that GameOver screen until you wise up. Then you encounter [[SuperBoss Bass]].

** The bonus areas in the ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' and ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce'' series are known for being a significant step up from the main story in difficulty, being host to high-tier enemies you normally never encounter in the main story areas. One reason why they're so difficult is because of the fact that once you start the postgame proper, you MUST have a streamlined battle chip folder to get anywhere there. And by streamlined we mean -- your deck has to be able to reliably delete the enemies within a couple turns and/or provide Mega Man enough protection to withstand their onslaught. Using that alphabet soup folder that got you through the main story without much trouble is no longer going to cut it here; the postgame bosses and even the viruses encounters here are simply [[LightningBruiser too fast, too beefy, and too dangerous]] to fight using only a single chip or two per turn. And the games will keep sending you to that GameOver screen until you wise up. Then you encounter [[SuperBoss Bass]].

* ''VideoGame/MariAndTheBlackTower'': Once the player obtains Ned's updated Floor 1 map, they can find a new section of that floor that contains mostly damage tiles, the strongest enemies, and the strongest boss Tiamat.

*** You thought the Flesh Prison was Bad? The Flesh ''Panopticon'' takes everything that made its predecessor difficult and adds some truly nasty mechanics on top of it. The Panopticon summons its own minions, but with the added twist of if you look directly at any of them, ''you cannot heal until you have killed them all''. Luckily, the fight ends rather abruptly when you get it down to about a quarter of its health... ''Because its prisoner manages to break free''.
*** Sisyphus Prime is, for all intents and purposes, a bigger, faster, souped up version of Minos Prime, who was already an incredibly hard boss. Not only does he have ''double the health'', Sisyphus has access to an AOE attack capable of stripping away half of your own health. When taken down to half health, he will attack almost nonstop, giving you almost ''no'' breathing room except on the rare occasion that he stops to taunt you.

*** Finally, we get to Archdragon Peak. Absolutely packed to the brim with snakemen that can effortlessly stunlock, parry and dodge the player's attacks and have a metric ton of HP on top of very dangerous homing fire attacks. The large snakemen are even worse, dealing huge damage with their greataxes that they almost never stop swinging and having nigh-unbreakable poise and immunity to backstabs (in fact they have a special grab attack they use on players foolish enough to attempt a backstab). Some of the large snakemen have their greataxes attached to chains, giving them massive range as well as all of the above (and like all other enemies, their melee attacks go through walls, and since swinging around their chain-axe still counts as a melee attack, ''nowhere is safe''). Not shortly after, the level introduces summoners that can spawn Drakeblood Knights, who are {{Lightning Bruiser}}s to the core and ''Havel the Rock''. Just to make matters worse, there's a dragon miniboss in the main path of the level and it ends with an open area filled with a couple dozen of the aforementioned snakemen. Should the player endure this, the main boss of the area is [[SuperBoss The Nameless King]], which is universally considered to be the hardest boss of the game.

* ''VideoGame/{{Catherine}}'', a game that's already [[NintendoHard hellishly difficult]] in its own right, later presents a set of four [[MarathonLevel very long]], even harder levels known as Babel. Each one requires that you reach the top before all the blocks fall away, similar to normal levels. However, these levels are all set on Hard. This means that the floor falls away really quick and you can't undo any mistakes. Make a slight booboo in your strategy that makes it impossible to advance? Tough nuts. Very few people on [[UsefulNotes/{{Xbox360}} either]] [[UsefulNotes/{{Playstation3}} platform]] have actually beaten these levels, and they only get harder as they go. The final level, Axis Mundi is flat out impossible to complete solo in Western regions, thanks to a bug in the game that renders it impossible to climb more than a few steps. Hope you can work two controllers or have a friend to help you.

*** The Trial of the Sword comes with "The Master Trials" DLC pack, which is similar to the Cave of Ordeals from ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess TP]]'' and Savage Labyrinth from ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker WW]]''. It has 45 rooms that pit you against different enemies and obstacles in a variety of environments, divided into three independent sections you have to complete in one sitting each, without being able to save in between rooms. You also start off each section without armor, weapons, or items, and only the latter two can be replenished from what you find in the rooms.
*** The Champions' Ballad from the second DLC pack starts with a lesser instance of this trope. If you've conquered all four Divine Beasts, you'll be beckoned to return to the Shrine of Awakening, where you can pick up an unusually-shaped weapon called the 'One Hit Obliterator'. If you choose to wield it, you'll be reduced to a OneHitPointWonder (attempts to eat food or otherwise heal will be wasted), and charged to defeat all of the enemies in given locations across the Great Plateau. In fairness, all enemies can also be defeated in one hit using the weapon. Defeat them all to unlock additional Shrines, and open the path to complete the rest of that DLC pack's challenges.

* ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'', specifically the ''Final Mix'' and ''II.5 HD [=ReMIX=]'' versions of that game have the Cavern of Rememberance, a dungeon which contains nothing but pain and suffering. You need to have Glide and Aerial Dodge on sufficient level (obtained by levelling up corresponding Drive Forms) to progress and the enemies are a mix of upgraded Heartless present nowhere else in the game that are much harder than other enemies and waves after waves of Nobodies. And should you get to the end, you can fight rematches against [[spoiler:Organisation XIII members on steroids that can wipe the floor with [=Lv 99=] players without abuse of power-up items or careful strategy.]]

** In ''VideoGame/Splatoon2'''s Octo Expansion, beating all levels with no skips grants the player access to a fight against [[spoiler:Inner Agent 3]]; all Agent 8 has is an Octoshot and Splat Bomb, while the opponent has unlimited ink, constant specials, a faster and more powerful weapon, [[TheAllSeeingAI knowledge of where you are at any time]], an aggressive AI, and the ability to dodge-roll at any time. Oh, and there's no checkpoints, so losing at any one of five phases[[note]]That is, Agent 8 has to defeat Inner Agent 3 five times, while Inner Agent 3 only has to defeat Agent 8 once[[/note]] sends you all the way back to the beginning. Once you do manage to win, YourRewardIsClothes! All you get is a virtual Golden Toothpick.

* The [[VideoGame/PaperMario Paper Mario series]] has the Pit of 100 trials. These are [[MarathonLevel 100 levels long]] and come with many difficult enemies such as [[LightningBruiser Amazy Dayzees]] which are then fought by a powerful boss at the end such as [[VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor Bonetail]]. Said bosses are considered more challenging than the final boss by far with more HP and Attack. ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'' takes this even further; there are now 2 of these, and in the Flopside version, all the enemies are [[DarkIsEvil dark versions]], which are more powerful than the ones in the Flipside version. You also have to do the Flopside version twice to get the rewards at the end, and the fight against [[SuperBoss Shadoo]] has [[DamageSpongeBoss 400 HP]] and 20 base attack. Thanks to how save files work in the game, quitting at any time [[CheckpointStarvation forces the player to start over.]]

** The Hall of Darkness, in ''VideoGame/EtrianOdysseyIVLegendsOfTitan''. Mixes up many of the gimmicks from previous dungeons, adds some new and is filled with [[PuzzleBoss Puzzle]] ''[[PuzzleBoss Random Encounters]]'', that features powerful foes with different weaknesses to exploit but that are always found in groups specifically designed to fill in their flaws. For example, Red Lion is the strongest non-boss enemy in the game, but starts the battle [[StatusEffects sleeping]]...but he's usually found with a Hollow Magus, that can damage their allies and boost their power through the roof. So, just kill the Hollow Magus first, right? Wrong! Her evasion is insanely high, and sometimes she's found with a Thunder Spawn, which is one massive damage sponge and [[BerserkButton goes berserk if you kill one of its allies]]. Lastly, unless you're in for a SelfImposedChallenge that very few players have managed to accomplish, before facing the SuperBoss you need to weaken it first by collecting a set of chemicals in a specific order that is only vaguely hinted through various lore entries scattered in the last floor. Have fun!

* ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar Ultra'', ''VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamLand'', ''VideoGame/KirbyTripleDeluxe'' and ''VideoGame/KirbyPlanetRobobot'' feature the True Arena. Much like the standard Arena, it's a BossRush against every boss and miniboss in the game with few healing items. The Arena is tough, but the True Arena is many orders of magnitude more difficult. All of the bosses and minibosses are souped-up versions of their normal counterparts that have massively powerful and hard-to-avoid attacks. The bosses who were introduced in the hard versions of the normal game also show up here. Healing items are limited to about four tomatoes that restore pathetic amounts of health or a single reserve cherry every few rounds in ''Planet Robobot''. In the between-round rest stop, you only have one ability item to choose from if you lost yours during the battle, as the other is the totally useless Sleep; in ''Planet Robobot'' it's an ability roulette. Then you get to the end, and you have to face a SuperBoss ([[spoiler:Galacta Knight, Galacta Knight again (thrice), and Dark Meta Knight]]) who uses relentless and wide-reaching attacks. ''Then'' comes the final bosses, which can stomp you into a flat sheet and dust the furniture with your remains, concluded with the final boss's [[OneWingedAngel Soul form]], who excel at TeleportSpam and firing ridiculous amounts of projectiles. ''Planet Robobot'' amps it up with a '''[[MarathonBoss four-phase]]''' TrueFinalBoss that ends with [[spoiler:a hard-to-avoid invincibility-ignoring ''OneHitKill KaizoTrap''!]] The game does not mess around in the True Arena, and it lets you know how brutal the True Arena is: the music is an intense guitar version of the normal Arena theme and the backgrounds are twisted and warped.